


fire and ashes

by CkyKing



Series: wild hunt on the prowl [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Collars, Fae & Fairies, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:37:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CkyKing/pseuds/CkyKing
Summary: Infiltration, parties and claims.Alternatively: Noctis taking the reins – literally – when he learns that Nyx has not attended a Fae Gathering in centuries.





	fire and ashes

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the Hunter!AU. Parties and intel gathering, what fun! Especially when passing themselves off as a witch and his familiar is the easiest way to get in. Nyx should really have done his research before accepting.
> 
> Originally posted on [tumblr](http://ckyking.tumblr.com/post/162219254824/fire-and-ashes) for nyxnoctweek.

“Get. it .off.”

Hearing the growled order so close to his ear – and to his vulnerable neck – did nothing to diminish the glow of Noctis’ practiced smile, which was truly only half-feigned. If one looked closely enough, like Nyx did, they would have been able to see the glimmer of genuine laughter in Noctis’ eyes, blue depths distracting unwary observers from his tight grip on his escort’s arm.

A slight uplift of the hunter’s lips answered the shapeshifter, highlighting once again the delicate beauty of his features and oh, how Nyx  _loathed_ him in that moment. The defiant boy was in his element here, surrounded by beautiful things, party in full swing around them. How could he not be? After all, as the older being had so pointedly reminded him of the first day they had spent together, the Lucis heir had been groomed to survive his coming of age, and it showed : greetings in various dialects, some nearly lost to time itself, dropped from his lips like precious jewels; the shadow of a smile or a seemingly innocuous twist of his fingers charmed their fellow guests, leaving them to look hungrily after him; and even Nyx himself, not forgettable in the least, turned into an accessory between his talented hands.

It was enough to drive a man  _crazy_.

The subtle tensing of Noctis’ fingers against his arm stopped him from trying to claw off the other reminder of how out of place he was in such an environment. He was more suited to wilderness; to the wide open plains and the forests of his homeland; to the moon’s gaze on his back; to the taste of exertion, sweet and pure on his tongue. Nothing like the lies and schemes he had so devoutly avoided all these years, preferring to leave the political maneuvering to either Néit or Selena.

Through unknown means, the hunter had learned of this and vetoed any and all of his suggestions concerning their plan of action, leaving Nyx floundering for the first time in _decades_ as Noctis brought to bear contacts no members of the Council had ever suspected him to have. No one dared contradict a member of the Ulric Clan when they came out of their self-imposed isolation, and here was this slip of a boy, not even a tenth of his age, ignoring him and taking his obedience for granted after leaving him bound and helpless for  _fun_ – or as payback if he was honest with himself.

In short order, their shared hotel room had been filled with fabrics and jewels, precious metals and leathers, all of them spread out for Noctis to peruse, the hunter occasionally looking up to assess his escort’s stormy demeanour before dismissing some of his options. With flicks of his fingers, the unwanted items disappeared, taken away as mysteriously as they had been delivered and leaving only the sharp smell of a winter’s night behind.

The enigma behind the Lucian’s casual use of such powerful magic was enough to pull the tattooed man out of his “sulk” as Noctis had categorized it later. Leaving his perch on the windowsill, Nyx cautiously walked closer to the seemingly distracted man to get a better idea of the hauntingly familiar scent that floated around him. As he did so, he kept a wary eye on the darkness stretching on the floor and reaching for him, Pryna’s cold hold still heavy on his mind. The raised eyebrow directed his way drove home how ridiculous he must have looked, literally jumping at shadows, but he ignored both Noctis’ judgemental stare and the dull burn of embarrassment crawling up the back of his neck. Briefly baring his teeth in answer and fighting the urge to strangle the brat, he returned to observing their chosen outfits for the night, laid out side by side on one of the couches lining the wall of their suite. He made it a point to keep his side to the hunter and not his back, watching him spin a piece of silver in his hands consideringly, around and around.

The first one was a study in contrast with the main piece cut from royal purple silk edged with black and artfully embroidered with gold in sweeping patterns closely resembling a dragon’s scales. Laid over it and obviously meant to be worn underneath was a tight sleeveless shirt, black to match the silk and offset by the white sash carefully folded on top.

Compared to it, the other outfit appeared simpler; a white short-sleeved tunic open from sternum to neck, material barely kept together by the black cords lacing it up. However, just like the other, the craftsmanship was impeccable, purple thread standing out against its white backdrop and weaving runes of all origins together in a motif that hid them from sight but did not impede their function. One of them caught his eyes, the archaic design bringing to mind his childhood in the wilderness of Galahd for a second before its meaning caught up to him. As if the entire motif was a door and this very rune the key to it, the pattern unravelled before his eyes and revealed what had only been hinted at until then.

“Noctis,” He asked, forgetting his anger for a moment and turning his head toward the other, ”Why the hell is that thing drowning in ownership marks?”

“Why, Sir Ulric, because you belong to me, for tonight at least.”

Those words barely reached his ears before soft lips covered his and a heavy weight was slipped around his neck. A soft  _click_ broke the sudden silence like a gunshot, followed by Noctis’ amused hum against his mouth as coldness flooded his limbs before nestling behind the wide silver band seamlessly encircling his throat.

“You fucking— “

Another peck stole the breath – and strength – out of him before the hunter leaned back, tugging the shapeshifter with him with a finger slipped between silver and the hummingbird beat of Nyx’s pulse. Noctis returned his fierce glare with an even wider smile, enjoying the sight of him struggling against the binding inflicted by the collar.

“Now, now, pet, be nice. Many of your misconducts will be glossed over as long as our fellow guests find me worthy of respect, but if you struggle too much, I will have to  _discipline_ you to keep it. We wouldn’t want that, would we?” He punctuated each sentence with a tap against Nyx’s collar, overpowering the enchantments pointedly.

“Oh, and you didn’t think to  _warn me!?_ ”

A considering hum answered him before a simple “no” was thrown back negligently.

“I know you are not comfortable in such battlefields, so I will be taking over. I hope you don’t mind.” Nyx’s suddenly pointed teeth ground together, expressing his anger when the rest of his body could not, “We’re partners after all.”

And now, here they were, mingling as Noctis put it. The urge to snap and show the brat his place beat like a second heart in his chest, but the usual fire animating him was dulled down to embers by the omnipresent darkness weaving itself around him in intangible bonds of silk.

_At least_ , Nyx thought,  _he had not been left alone even once_. Noctis’ bare shoulder rubbing against his arm at each step had been the closest he had had to anchor since their arrival. He refused to admit it out loud, but they did look good together, a thought echoed by many of the beings laughing and drinking around them.

The hunter – not that anyone knew him as such with the geas temporarily strengthened to hide his identity – was grace and loveliness incarnate. No one could stop themselves from looking at the marked skin of Noctis’ upper arms without wanting to replace the hunter’s own protection runes with their own. With the way silk wrapped around his neck, flowed to his side and looped back up to wrap around his forearms where it was secured by heavy gold bangles, it was no easy feat to ignore him.

The shapeshifter, on the other hand, embodied strength and power. The white cotton molded his muscular body perfectly, turning each of his deadly graceful movements into a display of dominance aimed at every other shifter in the same room as him. His intricate tattoos did nothing to detract from this impression, running up and down both arms and winking briefly from between the laces of his tunic, deep black against his tanned skin. Added to this were the laced-up leather pants showcasing everything from the firmness of his calves to the tempting muscles of his thighs in one line of bared flesh going from the top of his knee-high boots to this waist, the only matching piece both him and Noctis shared.

It had made it much easier to pull information from them. Noctis’ deft maneuvering and charm paired with Nyx’s wild allure and easy grin were a devastating combination, which the latter would have enjoyed more if not for the  _collar_. As if sensing the spike of emotion, Noctis altered their course, aiming for one of the many balconies looking over the forest encircling the mansion, leaning his cheek against Nyx’s strong arm all the while in comfort.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” He asked as they reached the railing, the sweet-scented wind sending his robes and sash billowing in Nyx’s direction. The sound of both materials whispering against each other paired with Noctis’ sharp scent of snow and myrrh cut through the overwhelming smell of roses hanging in the air and leached tension from his frame against his will

“So you care now?” The white and black-clad man bit back, though not as sharply as he wanted to.

“I do. We only have each other here, and we can’t afford to let anything separate us.”

There was no hint of teasing as Nyx had expected, only utmost seriousness and the barest spark of apprehension in his blue eyes. When Noctis reached for his neck this time, he did not fight back and let him do so. Lithe fingers pressed against the metal at this throat and reinforced its enchantments, chasing away the fire coursing through his veins. The cold felt so good after all the heat that his eyes started closing off their own accord, until he was nosing sleepily into the crook of his owner’s neck.

“Nyx,” The hunter mouthed softly against his stubbled cheek, “Summer is heavy here, and they like to…play with people, much more so than Winter. As long as you belong to me, they cannot touch you, so  _please,_ play along.”

Just as he was about to answer, the bell which they had gotten a glimpse of as they crossed the manor’s grounds echoed, its loud tolls cutting off their conversation and forcing Nyx’s eyes open when his heart seemingly burst aflame.

“Nyx,  _Nyx!_ ” Noctis whispered urgently, tightening his hold on the shifter and activating the ownership marks woven through his clothing and collar, “You have to strengthen your protections,  _now_. We cannot afford to join their revelry!”

“What…spells..?”

“Are you— Are you serious!? The collar and clothes were insurance, but I thought that your tattoos were permanent spells! They look and feel like it!”

“Not…Summer.”

Clenching his teeth to resist the urge to shake and berate Nyx for his  _stupidity,_ he propped the bigger man up with his shoulder and pulled both of them against the flow of party-goers heeding the bell’s call and exiting the manor. Between maintaining the geas, Nyx’s claim and shielding him partially from Summer’s enchantments, his reserves were depleting, and fast. But he couldn’t give up, not now. Nyx was heavy and unresponsive against his slighter frame, eyes hazy and lost in the distance; much better than the alternative in Noctis’ opinion. As the thought crossed his mind, large hands tangled in the material of his sash while the until-then unresponsive man started mouthing at his shoulder and neck, kissing every inch of skin he could reach. Turning his head away from the tantalizing touches, Noctis whispered a single sentence, lost in the earth-shattering noise echoing through the premises. The shadows surrounding them shuddered before the ones the hunter had named and called himself answered him, uncoiling from their resting place behind Nyx’s collar and slid down his body along the lines of his tattoos.

Each consecutive toll struck harder against the hastily erected web of shadows dampening its effects, stoking the heat roaring higher and higher. Even he who was born immune to such powers could feel the strength of it flowing over him like the sea, only to part when its will broke apart against the hundreds of Lucii who had lived and die to continue their line. But Nyx, he could not protect, not without bringing down Summer’s full might on them in their own territory.

“Look at me, Nyx. Don’t think about anything but me.”

The order, sharp and cutting, broke through the haze covering Nyx’s vision, lending strength back to his legs and allowing Noctis to take a break from supporting his weight to better survey where exactly they were heading. The wandering hands stilled around his waist even as the shifter plastered himself against his back, seeking the relief Noctis and his shadows provided him from the terrible heat.

They were lucky that most of the guests came fully expecting to be swept away by the flood of fire and paid no attention to them, willingly and temporarily enthralled as they were.

Closing his eyes to better shut out distractions and his own body’s reactions to Nyx, Noctis dove down into the dark and vibrant place inside of him that Luna had helped build, piece by piece. It was there that his spells were born, there that he was closest to Umbra and Pryna, there that the source of his power sang in ancient tongues and painted him in white and gold. And it was there that Nyx reached out to him, immersing himself in the coldness of his claim to escape the inferno trying to consume him.

It was unconceivable for him – who had felt Summer’s attempted re-claimings of his line most of his life – to not fear its touch, to not use every means at his disposal to keep it at bay. But Nyx— Nyx who was an Ulric, feared and revered; Nyx who prefered the heat of battle to pacts forged in sacrifices; Nyx whom the Fae avoided out of respect for the treaty the first Ulric bled for millennia ago. He had never known this, and in spite of their age difference, Noctis felt a little closer to him; felt and saw flashes of memories running through their fledgling bond, meant to last only for a night.

_Luna, Dad, you never warned me about this._

_You never told me they could be this genuine. You never told me they could be so human._

_I could kill him. I could fuck him. But how am I supposed to do that when he is reaching for me so?_

_“To protect yourself, you may have to kill your heart” You told me. But I can’t do it. I’ve tried, but it’s hard sometimes._

“I’m going to regret this.” The youngest whispered to himself as he commanded the shadows to bind his partner. Nyx’s whole body tensed in answer, struggling against the now corporeal shadows crawling all over him. With a push, he was sent sprawling down on one of the many cushions decorating the floor, now unused because of the revelry going on outside.

His cut-off whine went straight through the ice Noctis had encased his own heart in – modelled after the Fae and Lunafreya’s own mask – since his father’s disappearance and the beginning of his mission.

Untying his trailing sash with sharp movements, he moved to straddle the taller male’s hips, not leaving himself one second to consider the consequences of his actions. Even now, the enchantment was still not done with its target, and Noctis felt the result of it against his ass, his erection straining against the leather of his pants, the little hitches of his hips even the shadows could not completely stop. The call of revelry was either to be completely embraced or destroyed immediately; fucking until the sun set and Winter’s power took hold was not a thing to do lightly, and he refused to ever go through such a thing, or use anybody in such a way.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he bent down and pressed his forehead to Nyx’s, looked into hazy blue eyes and called light and shadow to his hands.

“For better or for worse, you’ll be mine. I hope we can both live with it.”

Their first kiss tasted of fire and ashes, destruction and renewal.


End file.
